Live music, crowds of revellers and bars jam-packed until morning light: five years ago, Sydney's Kings Cross was bustling. Then, in February , the New South Wales government introduced strict lockout laws which all but killed its capital's nightlife and made Kings Cross a ghost town. The struggle of small businesses, from bars and clubs to restaurants, has been well documented - but there is one section of the night time economy few have mentioned: prostitution.
Live music, crowds of revellers and dozens of bars packed until morning light: five years ago, Sydney's Kings Cross was bustling. Pictured: Prostitutes on the streets. The struggle of small business, from bars and clubs to restaurants, has been well documented - with many complaining the laws have destroyed the night time economy. Pictured: Kings Cross at night. There is one section of the economy which few have complained about: prostitution. Pictured: A 'nightwalker' offers her services through a car window.
A brothel called Number advertises which women are working with a daily twitter post to loyal followers. Pictured: A prostitute's twitter post retweeted by the brothel. The Number prostitutes themselves also advertise their services with teasing bedroom Tweets. Kings Cross was once infamous for its so-called nightwalkers - women who would stroll along the roadside offering sex and take cash from drunken revellers who wanted to buy it. Now, these women are rarely seen.
Now it's down to a handful. The decline has been noticed by revellers, too. One man posted on Reddit on Wednesday: 'I use to work in a club in Kings Cross and they prostitutes were literally everywhere. What has happened?! Kings Cross pictured was once infamous for its so-called nightwalkers - women who would stroll along the roadside offering sex and taking cash from drunken revellers.
Last month, Daily Mail Australia reported how sex workers were advertising on classified advertisements website Craigslist. Pictured: One of the adverts. The decline in the number of people visiting Kings Cross has clearly reduced the number of 'nightwalkers' - but there are other reasons for this shift besides the lockout laws.
